Please Help Mum (Leane) Buy More Time

My Mum Leane has the kindest heart. She is a much-loved wife, mother, oma, sister, aunt, friend and a passionate educator for many years. In April 2020, just after we celebrated her 55th Birthday, we received news that absolutely devastated our family. Mum was diagnosed with Stage 4 Pancreatic Cancer that had spread to her liver. She has spent nearly a year doing everything she can to fight for more time, but now she needs your help.

Mum knew something wasn't right for quite some time. She repeatedly went to the doctors had numerous tests and many misdiagnoses. She was exhausted and losing weight, but no one knew what was wrong. It wasn't until Mum and Dad demanded that Mum be sent for a CT that they finally were given the life-shattering diagnosis of Stage 4 Cancer.

Mum has encountered many tough decisions this past year. The first was whether to do chemotherapy knowing her cancer was not curable. Wanting to put up as much of a fight as she could to get more time, she started chemotherapy. Despite the awful side effects that landed her in hospital, very sick, she persevered.

The strong doses of chemo were worth it. Scans showed that the pancreatic cancer had shrunk significantly in size. Unfortunately, her body could not handle much more. With such little quality of life, she started looking for other options. She discovered Olaparib, a non-funded drug recommended for patients with the BRCA gene mutation. But it came at the cost of $4000 for one month. Knowing she couldn't give up, she self-funded the drug hoping it would work.

Olaparib is working, with much fewer side effects than chemotherapy. We already have had more time than we expected, and there is hope that we initially did not have. But after self-funding six months worth of this Olaparib, Mum knows they cannot self-fund much more.

This drug is extending Mum's life, shrinking the cancer, lowering her cancer markers to the point she has been offered a surgery that previously was not an option. But even if she does the surgery, we still need Olaparib to keep the metastatic cancer from growing or spreading.

We really appreciate everyone who has supported Mum this past year. If you can make any financial contribution at all, you will be buying us more time with our beautiful Leane. More time to make memories with Dad, us and her young grandchildren. We want them to know her, not just look at photos of her.

All of my gratitude and love, Danielle.